François de Canson answers questions from La Gazette du Var.

You have just been elected president of the Institut Français du Tourisme. What is the IFT?

We have prestigious members: Atout France, Umih, the Fédération nationale de l'hôtellerie de plein air, but also Comités régionaux de tourisme, travel agents and tour operators, major training and research institutions, local authorities, and personalities recognized nationally and internationally for their skills in this field. And above all, we address the questions facing our sector with pragmatism and common sense. It must be remembered that tourism represents nearly 1.5 million salaried jobs in France, €80 billion in international economic benefits, and 100 million international arrivals in 2024. But France now has many competitors like Etats-Unis, Espagne, Italie, Allemagne and many other countries that are progressing.

What are the concrete actions to the credit of the Institut français du tourisme?

The Institut is an incubator of ideas and innovative projects. Since its creation, it has developed a network of poles of excellence specializing in various themes: culture and heritage, mountain tourism, water, etc. Since the end of the health crisis, it has refocused on its fundamentals. For example, at the request of public authorities and the partners concerned, it is continuing the development of the digital platform "monemploitourisme.fr" to allow job seekers to better identify the professions and the sectors that lead to and prepare for them. This platform has 35,000 offers and it is

What will these priorities be?

I am going to build them with the newly appointed Conseil d'administration, but I have identified three of them. First of all, training and employment. We must strengthen the links between schools and professionals to improve the attractiveness of jobs and the adaptation of skills of those who are going to enter the workforce. This is a question of apprenticeship, work-study programs, but also social and professional integration. This goes as far as the issue of seasonal workers and their housing. Also, the platform monemploitourisme.fr is a valuable tool for both job seekers and employers. We must make it evolve. We are going to propose an aggiornamento of tourism governance and the distribution of skills. We must work on a new contractualized framework. The Départements and Régions must retain the possibility of setting up additional taxes, the caps of which must be harmonized at the national level. And then, we are going to continue working on semantics. It is important to explain that there is no overtourism in France but rather peaks in attendance. This type of confusion too often fuels tourism bashing. Furthermore, I salute the initiative taken by the Institut, which has tackled the heavy task of drafting a Dictionnaire du tourisme et du droit du tourisme. It will feature nearly 400 entries and more than 900 pages. It should be presented in paper and digital versions to the press in February. It is a considerable and essential work for us to understand each other. I would like to salute the considerable work of the hundred or so authors. tourism. We have results. We must make it known in France and internationally. The Institut Français du Tourisme is an exceptional tool for showing what works in the territories, in a pragmatic way, and bringing new solutions to structural problems. Then, everyone will make their choices. Each territory, building on its specificities, will adapt its solutions to turn towards an increasingly responsible and sustainable tourism. Tourism is a factor of peace, of living together, and of tolerance. We need it so much in this unstable world, which is losing its values and reference points. •